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In Democratic circles we’ve heard a lot these last couple of days about finger-pointing and circular firing squads. And there’s plenty of blame to go around. We’re also hearing a lot about moving to the center to attract Independents. But here’s the bottom line: it’s not a left, right, center fight. Voters demanded change in 2008, they don’t feel like they got it so they “voted the bums out in 2009” and essentially did the same again Tuesday in this first election in 2010. And you better believe they’re going to keep voting for change until they get it.

Democrats would be smart to look to the great state of Texas for two bits of wisdom. First, as Jim Hightower was fond of saying, “There’s nothing in the middle of the road but yellow stripes and dead armadillos.” Second, as Molly Ivins wrote, “You got to dance with them what brung you.” There is a huge pool of Obama surge voters in every state – those who turned out in record numbers, who want to be turned on – and to turn out again in 2010. But it wasn’t just the Democratic base that “brung ‘em,” in 2008. Remember, candidate Obama won independent voters nationwide 52-44 – and he won Independent voters in Co (54-44), NV (54-41), PA (58-39), FL (52-45), MI (52-42) and OH (52-44), all 2010 battlegrounds. Look closely at the polls and you’ll see Democratic base voters and Independents are waiting to see if the Democrats do as they said they would and take on the banks and health insurance companies and Wall Street and fight for average working people.

Independents and Democratic base voters want the same thing; they want to know that their representatives “get what’s going on in their lives,” and go to sleep every night and wake up every morning fighting for good jobs and quality and affordable health care. So Democrats would be wise not to head for the hills, not to abandon their principles and not to try to become more like the Republicans. The Republicans are out of ideas – they are bankrupt and voters know it. In fact, Independents reject the GOP in polls by 24-47 percent. There’s a fight that voters are waiting to see the president and Democrats take on; and if they do, they’ll win in 2010 and beyond.

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